Plateau: Workers sack lawmakers, LG bosses from offices

THE demonstration by           the Nigeria Union of Local Government Employees (NULGE), Plateau State chapter, over the “no work, no pay rule” invoked by the state government, as a result of six month-old strike by the union, took another dimension on Tuesday, as the striking workers sacked the state lawmakers from the House of Assembly and declared local government chairmen persona non grata.
Nigerian Tribune learnt that members of the union assembled at the gate of Jos North Local Government Area of the state as early as 9.00 a.m and moved in a procession to the state House of Assembly.
It was gathered that the workers, who were in their hundreds and in black attires, were confronted by security men at the entrance of the assembly.
An eyewitness told the Nigerian Tribune that while the security men and the union leaders were trying to sort themselves out, the lawmakers, who were already in the chamber, became apprehensive, when they saw the striking workers in mourning dresses.
To avoid embarrassment, as some of the workers had forced themselves into the assembly, the lawmakers were spirited out of the complex through an emergency gate.
When the news of the invasion of the assembly filtered through to the public office holders at the state secretariat, they hurriedly abandoned their offices and left before the workers could get to the secretariat, while local government chairmen across the 17 councils in the state also abandoned their duty posts for fear of attack.
Meanwhile, the state chairman of NULGE, Samson Mafuyai, said no fewer than 25 members of the union had died in the past six months.
It will be recalled that the state government, through the Ministry of Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs, last week, gave a directive through a statement signed by the commissioner, Dr Paul Wai, that the striking workers, including primary schools teachers, should resume to work unfailingly by Monday.